Let’s be honest about this: Donald Trump has a daughter and a son-in-law who are Jewish, he’s never said anything negative about the Jewish religion, he is a strong supporter of the current Israeli government, and I very much doubt that he considers himself to be anti-Semitic. Nevertheless:
- He hates “globalists,” a term that applies easily to Jews;
- He openly advocates violence against his political opponents;
- He swaggers and champions gun rights;
- He has refused to condemn members of the alt-right in the past;
- He has identified prominent Jews as guilty individuals in his conspiracy theories; and
- Whatever his actual sentiments, there is no doubt that anti-Semites have felt empowered by his presidency.
And so, can he escape blame for this latest massacre? I think not.